Directing felt like we were back to our old indie music days: Hiphop Tamizha Adhi

Even as he has been busy with his music and acting projects, Hiphop Adhi has now turned director once again, for a film, titled Kadaisi Ulaga Por. In a chat with us, the multifaceted artiste delves into his upcoming movie, his ‘message’ to upcoming independent artistes, and more...

‘A FICTIONAL STORY SET DURING THE LAST WORLD WAR ’Kadaisi Ulaga Por is a fictional story set during the last World War and will focus on what happens in Tamil Nadu when the war happens. For fans who have been following my movies, this will be completely different. My movies are very family-friendly, but this one will be youth-centric, action-driven, and fast-paced with thriller elements. That said, comedy is my forte, so the movie also has a lot of humour.

‘It feels like a full circle, as we can do what we used to do in the independent music scene in movies now’No one in this film was assigned any defined roles. We were a group trying to create content. Everyone acted as one big team and that is also how I started my career directing music videos. It felt like we were back to where we started, back to the old independent music days. But this time around, it was on a bigger scale. It feels like a full circle, as we could do in the movies now what we used to do in the indie music scene years ago.

‘WHEN WE PUT OUT OUR ART ON YOUTUBE, PEOPLE SUPPORTED’
When you are both the director and producer of a film, the whole responsibility is yours. You have sole control, so the higher the power, the higher the responsibility. We don’t have much money to promote this film, as we’ve spent so much on shooting it. For promotion, all we have is the film’s content, and it has worked for us before. When we put out our art on YouTube, people have supported and took us to the place we are today.

‘AS HALF OF THIS FILM IS SET IN AN APOCALYPTIC WORLD, WE SHOT IN HARD TERRAINS’This film was a far-fetched goal. We had a big vision and have been working in silence for the past year to pull this off. As half of this film is set in an apocalyptic world, we shot in hard terrains and forests. We were restricted to being in the forest area after six, as there is no way out when it is dark and there will also be animal encounters at the time. We had to even lay the road for one terrain where we shot.

‘IT’S NOT JUST MUSIC THAT MAKES YOU STAY HERE LONG-TERM’I want to tell all the upcoming independent artistes, as a brother and senior, to make sure you create a set of audience. It is not just the music that will make you stay here long-term. Being an independent artiste is not just about music. So, keep that in mind and make responsible content. You should know how to build a community around you. If you are a film’s music director, you give the music, and there is a hero who will dance or act to it. But it is different when you are an indie artiste, as you are yourself the hero, director and music director.

‘LET’S MAKE GOOD ART AND MAKE A POSITIVE IMPACT’We come from nothing. We started out as independent artistes and were initially struggling to make ends meet. If I’m able to sufficiently back myself up to keep on doing what I’m doing, then that itself is a success. We shouldn’t consider ourselves too important. Everybody is going to be replaced and forgotten. So, let’s just make good art and make a positive impact while we are here.
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